Category

Metrical feet

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thumb|Trochaic tetrameter in Macbeth In poetic metre, a trochee ( ) is a metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one, in qualitative meter, as found in English, and in modern linguistics; or in quantitative meter, as found in Latin and Ancient Greek, a heavy syllable followed by a light one (also described as a long syllable followed by a short one). In this respect, a trochee is the reverse of an iamb. Thus the Latin word , because of its short-long rhythm, in Latin metrical studies is considered to be an iamb, but since it is stressed on the first syllable,

An anapaest (; also spelled anapæst or anapest, also called antidactylus) is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. In classical quantitative meters it consists of two short syllables followed by a long one; in accentual stress meters it consists of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. It may be seen as a reversed dactyl. This word comes from the Greek , anápaistos, literally "struck back" and in a poetic context "a dactyl reversed".

metrical unit in poetry

An amphibrach () is a metrical foot used in Latin and Greek prosody. It consists of a long syllable between two short syllables. The word comes from the Greek ἀμφίβραχυς, amphíbrakhys, "short on both sides".

A spondee (Latin: ) is a metrical foot consisting of two long syllables, as determined by syllable weight in classical meters, or two stressed syllables in modern meters. The word comes from the Greek , , 'libation'.

A pyrrhic (; pyrrichios, from πυρρίχη pyrrichē) is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. It consists of two unaccented, short syllables. It is also known as a dibrach.

class of tetrasyllabic metrical feet

In Greek and Latin poetry, a choriamb (Ancient Greek: χορίαμβος - khoriambos) is a metron (prosodic foot) consisting of four syllables in the pattern long-short-short-long (— ‿ ‿ —), that is, a trochee alternating with an iamb. Choriambs are one of the two basic metra that do not occur in spoken verse, as distinguished from true lyric or sung verse. The choriamb is sometimes regarded as the "nucleus" of Aeolic verse, because the pattern long-short-short-long pattern occurs, but to label this a "choriamb" is potentially misleading.

A cretic ( ), also known as an amphimacer ( ) and sometimes paeon diagyios, is a metrical foot containing three syllables: long, short, long (– ᴗ –). In Greek poetry, lines made entirely of cretic feet are less common than other metres. An example is Alcman 58. However, any line mixing iambs and trochees could employ a cretic foot as a transition. In other words, a poetic line might have two iambs and two trochees, with a cretic foot in between.

A bacchius () is a metrical foot of three syllables, consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by two stressed ones.

4-syllable metrical foot of light-light-heavy-heavy (⏑⏑‒‒); occurs in ancient Greek and Latin poetry; e.g: Mĭsĕrārūm (e)st nĕqu(e) ămōrī dărĕ lūdūm nĕquĕ dūlcī (Horace)

In languages with quantitative poetic metres, such as Ancient Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit, and classical Persian, an anceps (plural ancipitia or (syllabae) ancipites) is a position in a metrical pattern which can be filled by either a long or a short syllable.

An antibacchius (or palimbacchius) is a rare metrical foot used in formal poetry.